South Africa’s gun trade and its impact on Africa

South Africa is the largest contributor to gun-related violent crime on the continent, according to Gun Free South Africa (GFSA).

The latest statistics by the African Union’s Silencing the Gun in Africa Guide, last released in 2018, show that SA spent millions of dollars in small arms imports, and is ranked second to Nigeria in terms of exports in the continent.

Gun Free SA researcher Claire Taylor said the guns sold to other countries in Africa ended up in the wrong hands and were used in serious violent crimes and wars.

Guns sold to other African countries

GFSA, in collaboration with the African Union (AU), recently launched an initiative titled Silencing the Guns in Africa, to fight the spread of legal and illegal guns.

Taylor said the GFSA and AU initiative recognises that peace across Africa cannot be achieved through top-down government approaches alone, but requires meaningful engagement and participation by grassroots communities and civil society.

“With over 40 concrete action plans, our activism guide equips activists to tackle gun violence at every level – from establishing gun-free zones in their neighbourhoods to holding governments accountable for their international treaty obligations.

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“This dual approach recognises that lasting peace requires grassroots transformation and systemic change,” said Taylor. “Silencing the guns in Africa means reducing availability by controlling supply and reducing demand. This requires coordinated action on multiple fronts.

“The initiative is aimed at encouraging governments to strengthen and enforce controls while addressing the root causes of gun acquisition, from poverty to weak security,” said Taylor.

The activism guide also urges governments to tackle the corruption that enables weapon leakage while building regional cooperation to combat cross-border trafficking.

Corruption enables weapon leakage

Taylor said the success of the initiative also depends on shifting cultural attitudes that normalise gun possession and violence.

“The average gun-related death rate in Africa is 3.8 per 100 000 (2011-2016 – the most recent available data). SA’s gun-related death rate is 19 per 100 000 based on gun-related murders for 2023- 24.”

She said while many African countries struggle primarily with military weapons leakage, SA faces a unique challenge: civilian-owned guns represent the largest source of illegal weapons.

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“The scale is staggering. Civilians report 23 guns daily lost or stolen. Private security companies account for five and police lose an average of two guns daily.”

Prof Witness Maluleke, University of Limpopo criminologist, said the collaboration between GFSA and the AU cannot do much to minimise the proliferation of guns across the continent as the damage was already the new normal.

“Unlicensed heavy firearms/ weapons are often found in rural communities, with few consequences. It is no longer a big issue to own an illegal firearm.

Not an issue to own illegal firearm

“This strategy will only act as a box-ticking exercise. A longterm multidisciplinary approach is needed, not acting in silos nor bringing in a few stakeholders.”

Damian Enslin, SA Gun Owners Association chair, said there were strict controls and dealers have to comply with “strict criteria to import and export guns”.

Helmoed-Römer Heitman, a defence expert, disagreed that SA is the largest contributor to gun-related violent crime on the continent, citing the wars and armed bandits in many countries.

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